Sunday, February 24, 2019

Economics Fair coming on March 13th! :D Here are the requirements and timeline. Please help your child stay on top of the creations as we stay on top of learning economic concepts and business terms and smarts. There is a vocabulary list of terms the students are responsible for learning that went home work the packet; however, I will work on uploading those online too.

Economics Fair Project Timeline
February 21 – Business Plan due.  Teacher and parent approval required.  
March 8 and 11 – Students will create a persuasive advertisement for their product or service in class.  Advertisements will be displayed in the consumers’ class so that shoppers can plan and budget for their purchases.
March 13 – Items and materials to sell due in class.
March 15 – Vocabulary quiz

Third Grade Economics Fair
In Social Studies third graders are studying economics.  Students are working on the concepts of a free enterprise system and learning new vocabulary.  On March 13, 2019, students will participate as consumers and producers in an economics fair. Each student will create their own business plan to create or resell products or provide a service.  Students will not have a lot of space to sell their goods or service. They should plan to have the space of their desk to use as their work space. Students will run their shops without parent assistance on the day of the fair.  
First, your child will need to think of a product to sell or a service to provide.  They will need to create their Business Plan. The Business Plan form is due on Friday, February 21, 2019.  Please encourage your child to use inexpensive resources that are readily available. The lower the cost is, the higher the profit will be.  All items or services should be priced to sell for $1 to $10 in even dollar increments. Consumers will be given $10 in play money to spend on products.  Students will get to keep the items that they buy. We will sell to and buy from Mrs. Miller’s class.
Attached are the Business Plan and a vocabulary list that they should review at home.  We will be studying these words in class, but students should be using them as they create their business.  We will reflect on our successes/failures as producers and consumers after the economics fair. We will also have a vocabulary quiz March 15, 2019.
We hope that this will be a fun and educational experience for your child.  Thank you for your support in this endeavor. If you have any questions, please ask.
Thank you!!
Mrs. Ory

Economic Fair Ideas        
Please keep in mind that the following items are not allowed:  hair color, silly string, slime, nail polish, food, or weapons of any kind.  Please ask if you have questions regarding permitted items or services.
Examples of products and/or services:
  1. Goods to resell (You buy something, keep track of cost for expenses, set a price to sell.  Your profit is the difference between what you sell it for and what you spent for it.):  
  • pencils
  • pens
  • erasers
  • stickers
  • small toys
  • water bottles
  • used books
  • hair clips
  • headbands
  • candles
  • balloons
  • bookmarks
  • key chains
  • stress balls
  • trading cards
  • plants
  • pet rocks

  1. Created products (You buy materials and create something to sell.  Your profit is the difference between what you sell it for and what you spent for materials.):  
  • homemade stationary or cards
  • friendship bracelets
  • loom band bracelets
  • duct tape crafts
  • bookmarks
  • decorated pencils
  • journals
  • washer bracelets on ribbon
  • pet rocks
  • puzzles
  • masks
  • origami
  • artwork
  • flowers
  • decorated flower pots
  • picture frames

  1. Services (You purchase any required materials and sell a service.  Your sales minus your material cost is the profit. Services should last no more than 2-3 minutes.):  
  • tattoos
  • hair design
  • jokes
  • desk cleaning
  • balloon animals
  • caricature
  • custom artwork
  • etc.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Our Inventor's Museum went fabulously! :D The kids are so proud of what they accomplished and while speaking in front of people can be nerve racking, each student got into their own stride as the museum went on. How great! I hope you learned something from their research as I know they did!

Next up in Social Studies, we will begin an Economics unit. During this unit, your kiddos will have an opportunity to participate in a class Economics Fair during which they will experience the ins and outs of needs, wants, supply, demand, profit, spending, and other fundamentals of the economic world. We will learn the terms and procedures in school, but the kids will complete the project and study vocabulary at home. The vocabulary will come home this week and will also be posted in study-able form under the Language Arts/Reading/Social Studies tab. More about this to come! I'm looking forward to this additional opportunity for the kids to express themselves and learn more about how our world works.

In reading, I'm excited to dig deeper into the art of story telling as we read and write traditional literature (fairy tales, folktales, myths, legends, tall tales, and the like). In the next couple of weeks, we will read Cinderella tales from around the world, fractured fairy tales and other myths, legends and tales from various cultural backgrounds. How interesting!

In science, we explore and discover facts about the Sun, our Solar System, and space. There are links to some interesting virtual/video sites the kids have enjoyed or might enjoy learning from in the Science tab.

This week we have our STAAR Ready tests on Tuesday and Wednesday.
   These practice tests are challenging and cover all the information your child should know by the end of the year. We have not covered everything at this point as we are just past half way through the year, so scores may be low. However, this should indicate to me where your child stands, and what we need to tackle hard these coming months to best prepare them for Fourth Grade and other future challenges. 
   Over the past couple of weeks, I noticed some students still show a lack of concern towards reading their questions and stories thoroughly as well as in taking the time to use their study materials. Skipping and not using their test-taking strategies can hurt grades and knowledge retention. SO, please help me emphasize the importance of studying and reading through their learning/testing material thoroughly. Please encourage your student to go back to their reading passages to find answers and to support their answers with evidence. Success comes from a willingness to act and to work hard. I have no doubt this 3rd grade class can do well! We just need to be willing to put the work into our learning. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

....Now that being said... What your children need are rest, a healthy breakfast and snack for Tuesday and Wednesday, and most importantly ENCOURAGEMENT. :D They feel pressures, but we've learned pressures and feeling emotionally overwhelmed can cause the brain to shutdown. We've learned how to stop ourselves when feeling stressed, anxious, or discouraged. We then name and admit the feeling, and slowly breathe out the feeling while self-talking positive encouragements. Please support your child and fill them with self-assurance and peace. No matter how this turns out, they are more than scores on a page! They still have a glorious future and loved ones who support them! Let's do this!
Rest, relax, and enjoy time with family! J

Friday, February 1, 2019

Inventor's Museum is coming up next Friday! :D
I can't wait to see what the kids have learned about famous inventors, innovators, and explorers! Here are the criteria for the presentation aides due next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Expectations for the presentation
Students will prepare a presentation in order to inform their audience about
the inventor they choose.  As part of their presentation, they will read the essay
that they have prepared. I would like for the presentation to be engaging.  
Student creativity is strongly encouraged. Students should have their presentation
idea cleared by teacher if it is not listed, just so I know what to expect.  

Here are some ideas:
* Dress up as the inventor
*Sing presentation as a song/poem
* Create a Google Slides presentation
*Make a poster
*Create a diorama
*Person poster
*Make a puppet


*Bring in a prop that relates to their invention (the prop can be a picture or the
actual item)


Students have been given time for research and writing during class.
 Creating presentation props and practicing presentations will be
need to done at home by the student without excessive parent
involvement or cost.  
Neat Idea!  Caleb is going to make one of these for his history project presentation on Martin Luther King Jr. tommorrow. Biography Reports.  Students create their person poster and then utilize it for their presentation.  This engages students = multiple intelligences!Wilbur Wright puppet for a fifth grade biography presentation project. Project must focus on a person who is remembered for making a difference in our world. This person should also be a figure of inspiration for other people, even the student. 
Wax Museum in Progress: Amelia Earhart in front of her "backdrop".Biography Bottles @ The Millbrae Library by San Mateo County Library, via Flickr.  A new way for kids to present a biography.  Each part could be the cue to talk about what it is and why it was included.  Top to bottom organization and visual cues for visual learners.

Culture Project Questions and Check Point Dates :D

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